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Rep. Grayson won't hold his tongue

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The Florida freshman has taken on Rush Limbaugh and Wall Street CEOs.
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The standard playbook for new members of Congress includes this time-honored piece of advice: Lay low, focus on constituent service and avoid drawing too much attention to yourself.

But Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) hasn’t paid much attention to the old adage about being seen and not heard. Just two months into his first term, he’s already making a name for himself with a shoot-from-the-lip style and an ideological edge that some argue is ill-suited for the competitive, suburban Orlando seat that he represents.

On Wednesday, Grayson weighed in on the dispute between the Obama administration and Rush Limbaugh, calling the conservative talk show host “a sorry excuse for a human being.” In January, he referred to Limbaugh as a “has-been hypocrite loser” who “was more lucid when he was a drug addict.”

The tart-tongued freshman also skewered Wall Street CEOs with sharp questioning at a recent Financial Services Committee meeting — video of which he uploaded to YouTube — and, in a much-noted personnel move, hired prominent liberal blogger and political consultant Matt Stoller to be a senior policy adviser on his congressional staff.

During the past election, Stoller led efforts to recruit liberal primary candidates to challenge moderate Democratic members of Congress throughout the country.

All of this has earned Grayson a national following of progressive admirers, including prominent congressional candidate Darcy Burner of Washington, who made a late January fundraising appeal praising Grayson for “scaring some of the people who got us into this financial mess.”

“It’s who the guy is; it’s not like he’s changed at all since he’s been elected,” said Democratic pollster Dave Beatty. “It’s who he is. He’s outspoken, and he’s serving the same way he ran.”

In dozens of congressional districts across the nation, Grayson’s approach would ensure a long career in office. The trouble is, Florida’s 8th District isn’t one of them.

While Barack Obama, by all estimates, carried the district in 2008, George W. Bush won by comfortable margins in 2000 and 2004. As recently as 2004, then-incumbent Rep. Ric Keller (R-Fla.) won reelection with 61 percent of the vote.

It’s the kind of competitive district where Grayson’s talk of beating “swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks” might not resonate the way it would elsewhere.

“For someone in Congress, he’s really out there. He comes across as a total ideological flake,” said Florida Republican media consultant John Dowless. “He’s tacking hard left, and he’s trying to become the Robert Wexler of Congress, but Wexler’s in a district where you can do that and get away with it. Grayson’s not in that type of district.”

My advice to Alan Grayson is also to keep on talking. I admire him for being frank about his opinions. It's shocking that it's shocking when someone says what he really thinks without a bunch of weasel words and BS. That's why we need more people like him in Congress. I don't have to agree with everybody --i just want to know that they are being straight with us. Little by little we can turn the tide.....

My advice to Alan Grayson is also to keep on talking. I admire him for being frank about his opinions. It's shocking that it's shocking when someone says what he really thinks without a bunch of weasel words and BS. That's why we need more people like him in Congress. I don't have to agree with everybody --i just want to know that they are being straight with us. Little by little we can turn the tide.....

I agree. I completely disagree with his vision for America, but I do respect him for speaking what he really thinks. Not any of the political stuff you see canidates speak, then back down on when they get to Congress. Good for him. Wouldn't ever vote for him, but Congress does need more people that speak like him.

This big-headed creep bought his congressional seat with a kabillion nasty, dishonest TV ads during the campaign. From someone in his district, this guy is a total sleeze. He is not representative of the people here.

I say Mr. Grayson should stay true to his convictions and conscience, as all in Washington should. I'm sick of politicians so pathetically needy of their elected positions that they grovel, lie, and become Human Chameleons, ever trying (falsely) to be all things to all voters simply to survive.

I'm sick of politicians so pathetically needy of their elected positions that they grovel, lie, and become Human Chameleons, ever trying (falsely) to be all things to all voters simply to survive.

Exactly. Things might be considerably more honest in both state legislatures and Washington if our politicians actually ran on their true beliefs and then, if elected, lived up to them. Let the voters actually see who you really are. We're not all dumb, you know. We CAN make fairly good decisions when given the true information upon which to base those decisions.

Another loon on the left trying to claim his 15 minutes of fame. Sorry, Mr. Demwit, RUSH GETS 150 MINUTES OF FAME EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. He's is the leader of CONSERVATIVES in this country. He speaks for millions of conservatives.

This president will be a ONE-TERM WONDER, just another Jimmah Carter.

I say let this wit make a fool of himself and continue to show the country a president who, within 2 months, has become inept, sophomoric and irrelevant. The markets are running this country, not the merry band of Buffons in the White House. No one even listens to them anymore. WITHIN TWO MONTHS - NO CONTROL, NO LEADERSHIP, NO BRAINS!

You betcha he is. He's the leader of the GOP too, and any Republican staffer or elected official who dares to disrespect him will be forced to humiliate themselves in public. And when he dresses up in his all-black costume for the CPAC crazies, resembling nothing so much as an enormous eight ball, and bounces around like an elephant on a huge hot plate, pouring sweat and snarling, the wingnut base goes into orgasmic fits of ecstasy.

History will repeat it self all the time, This guy must not care about reelection. Nor does obama, emanual or anyone else that spends more time calling out a private citizen and lose sight of the task at hand. I am not agreeing with rush limbaugh, I think the guy, although very smart and witty, is not worth letting the country go down the drain. I think americans are watching closely to what is currently unfolding before our eyes, Unemployment is higher today than it has been since 1983. Our stock market is falling on its face on a day to day basis, Marines and soldiers are getting killed for no reason in a war that should not still be happening. Our president demonized the war on terror while on the campaign trail, now he wants to send 17000-30000 more troops to afgahnistan.......for what? So you can have your shot at Bin Laden, hopefully catch him for bragging rights against the last administration, Let it go. Support our troops and bring them all home now, we have enough of our own problems here at home, meanwhile our POTUS, His staff and other political figures are consuming their days with a WWE skits with a radio talk show host ( A Private Citizen ). In a nut shell......Stop the fun and games, stop the spending, quit letting our Marine and Soldeirs die, Let the past eight years rest in peace, YOU WON, either make your change or get the F*#@ OUT!

This is yet ANOTHER diversion orchestrated by this COWARDLY administration. They get some FLUNKY newbie hack to attack a PRIVATE CITIZEN - the villian known as Rush Limbaugh. Everyone look over there - there'e the new Evil One - scorn him!!!! Meanwhile back at the ranch, the economy continues to crumble faster than Roger Clemens can fill a syringe. Unemployment soars past the 8 percent mark. The new line item pork eraser czar, Stevie Wonder, pours over the spending to take out unnecessary pork. Zerobama gives out cookies and meets with basketball players. Good job Barry. Barney Frank, while spitting all over himself, DEMANDS to know the plans of bankers to get out of this. Someone should tell this moron that Fannie isn't what he thought it was.

This is yet ANOTHER diversion orchestrated by this COWARDLY administration. They get some FLUNKY newbie hack to attack a PRIVATE CITIZEN - the villian known as Rush Limbaugh. Everyone look over there - there'e the new Evil One - scorn him!!!!

What Democrat in their right mind thinks of Rush Limbaugh as the enemy at the moment? He's our best friend. He slaps around Republicans and humiliates them in public, he presents a really laughable and unappealing face for Conservatism among those parts of the electorate who tend not to marry siblings, and he dresses up in a funny black costume and bounces up and down at CPAC like a Johnny Cash-themed beach ball. What's not to like about him? We're not attacking Rush. We're helping him gain complete and undisputed control of the GOP. Why would you possibly object to us describing Rush as your party's leader?

I do not agree with this Represenative from Florida but I do give him cudos on saying what he thinks. I wonder if I was to really slam him if I would get the same respect. I doubt it. Democraps are not into free speach unless it comes from one of their Dicktakers like DEAR LEADER & his ilk. OH WELL that is the direction America is heading.

Well..as a matter of fact...until 2010 he IS your Representative. Orlando, the base of power, has shifted politically and having an up front progressive elected is the result. By the way did you support Keller or Long in the GOP Primary? (Now THAT got nasty wouldn't you agree?)